Can Chamomile Impact Anxiety?
Many of us experience a certain level of anxiety at some point or another but for some individuals anxiety can become a debilitating problem.
Generalised Anxiety Disorder, or GAD, "can be defined as a disorder in which the sufferer feels in a constant state of high anxiety" according to the charity Anxiety UK.
"The anxiety experienced is not as a result of any specific trigger, but those with this condition feel that they are on edge all the time for no specific reason.
GAD is often accompanied by depression.
GAD is sometimes called 'free-floating' anxiety condition".
For further, more specific information on GAD please visit the Anxiety UK website.
Anxiety UK is a national registered charity formed 30 years ago by a sufferer of agoraphobia for those affected by anxiety disorders.
Today the charity is still a user-led organisation, run by sufferers and ex-sufferers of anxiety disorders supported by a high-profile medical advisory panel.
ANXIETY UK works to relieve and support those living with anxiety disorders by providing information, support and understanding via an extensive range of services, including 1:1 therapy services.
The charity can provide support and help to those who have been diagnosed with, or suspect they may have an anxiety condition.
For many years people have advocated having a cup of chamomile (Matricaria recutita) tea to help soothe and calm nerves.
I was interested to find that recently (1) a study showed that chamomile may be useful to those suffering from mild to moderate GAD.
The study was well designed and looked at the usefulness of chamomile extract therapy in individuals suffering with mild to moderate GAD.
Individuals in the study received chamomile extract or placebo (inactive dummy pill) for 8 weeks.
The research was designed to detect changes in clinical anxiety ratings using special, professionally recognised, anxiety scores.
The results (1) showed that there was a significantly greater reduction in the anxiety scores during the chamomile therapy when compared to the placebo.
This was the first controlled clinical trial of chamomile extract for the treatment of GAD and the results suggest that chamomile may well have modest anti-panic activity in treating GAD in patients with mild-to moderate GAD.
Further clinical trials are needed to confirm these results and before any recommendations can be made.
These results are particularly interesting since many individuals suffering from anxiety disorders would prefer not to take pharmaceutical drugs for their condition.
I have previously written a little about anxiety in my posts - gentle exercise such as yoga and Tai Chi, healthy diet (especially managing blood sugar levels) and magnesium may also be useful in anxiety disorders.
Caffeine is also known to aggravate anxiety in many individuals so having chamomile tea is a good alternative.
Supplements containing chamomile are available and often these are marketed as 'calming' these supplements have not been tested specifically for anxiety disorders but if you wish to try them to see if they have a soothing effect then please follow the manufacturers guidelines.
Generalised Anxiety Disorder, or GAD, "can be defined as a disorder in which the sufferer feels in a constant state of high anxiety" according to the charity Anxiety UK.
"The anxiety experienced is not as a result of any specific trigger, but those with this condition feel that they are on edge all the time for no specific reason.
GAD is often accompanied by depression.
GAD is sometimes called 'free-floating' anxiety condition".
For further, more specific information on GAD please visit the Anxiety UK website.
Anxiety UK is a national registered charity formed 30 years ago by a sufferer of agoraphobia for those affected by anxiety disorders.
Today the charity is still a user-led organisation, run by sufferers and ex-sufferers of anxiety disorders supported by a high-profile medical advisory panel.
ANXIETY UK works to relieve and support those living with anxiety disorders by providing information, support and understanding via an extensive range of services, including 1:1 therapy services.
The charity can provide support and help to those who have been diagnosed with, or suspect they may have an anxiety condition.
For many years people have advocated having a cup of chamomile (Matricaria recutita) tea to help soothe and calm nerves.
I was interested to find that recently (1) a study showed that chamomile may be useful to those suffering from mild to moderate GAD.
The study was well designed and looked at the usefulness of chamomile extract therapy in individuals suffering with mild to moderate GAD.
Individuals in the study received chamomile extract or placebo (inactive dummy pill) for 8 weeks.
The research was designed to detect changes in clinical anxiety ratings using special, professionally recognised, anxiety scores.
The results (1) showed that there was a significantly greater reduction in the anxiety scores during the chamomile therapy when compared to the placebo.
This was the first controlled clinical trial of chamomile extract for the treatment of GAD and the results suggest that chamomile may well have modest anti-panic activity in treating GAD in patients with mild-to moderate GAD.
Further clinical trials are needed to confirm these results and before any recommendations can be made.
These results are particularly interesting since many individuals suffering from anxiety disorders would prefer not to take pharmaceutical drugs for their condition.
I have previously written a little about anxiety in my posts - gentle exercise such as yoga and Tai Chi, healthy diet (especially managing blood sugar levels) and magnesium may also be useful in anxiety disorders.
Caffeine is also known to aggravate anxiety in many individuals so having chamomile tea is a good alternative.
Supplements containing chamomile are available and often these are marketed as 'calming' these supplements have not been tested specifically for anxiety disorders but if you wish to try them to see if they have a soothing effect then please follow the manufacturers guidelines.
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